I got a long block locally, LA area. It was about $1100 two years ago. You could order hardened seats and a head with and without smog stuff (thermactor ports). Maybe there was another thing or two you could get.
The main part is that they magnafluxed it, reground the cylinders, milled the head, trued the crank and mechanically ran it in on a bench (no fire in the cylinders) so it was fully oiled up before it left the shop. There was a 12/12000 guarantee, they dropped it off at my house, in a bag right next to my car AND they hauled away the old core. Paint was a little cheezy so I painted it before it went in. Used my own tin (pan, timing cover, valve cover, etc.)
You could get all that cheaper if you salvaged your own and dropped it off at a machine shop, then hauled it back to your house. But what if your salvage block was cracked? This place had like 8 or ten I6 blocks waiting for a new home.
